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Reading Between The Seams : Baseball bloggers that exclusively cover the MLB. Breaking news, rumors, videos, fantasy and listsTue, 03 Mar 2015 00:55:21 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.1Ten MLB numbers that should have never been retired by their teamhttp://sports-kings.com/readingbetweentheseams/ten-mlb-numbers-that-should-have-never-been-retired-by-their-team/
http://sports-kings.com/readingbetweentheseams/ten-mlb-numbers-that-should-have-never-been-retired-by-their-team/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 00:55:21 +0000http://sports-kings.com/readingbetweentheseams/?p=50352

Yankees Monument Park is getting fullCredit: Yankees.com

As the New York Yankees are retiring another set of jersey numbers (and honoring the players in Monument Park), some question whether or not the franchise will run out of double-digit numbers to assign in the decades to come. After Derek Jeter’s #2 is retired, the lowest available number will be #11. For a team like the Yankees (and their 27 World Series titles), it makes sense to have had a number of greats throughout the years. But there are cases where teams seem to stretch “just a little bit” to honor a fan favorite. We shall explore the top ten such cases.

The stretch retirements seem to fall into one of three categories:

A player (or manager) who gets the nod seemingly for their exploits in other cities. There are four Hall of Famers on this list.

A player (or manager) who was pretty good, but just not that great.

A player that just didn’t really play long enough in that city. I mean you’d like to see more than an All-Star appearance to justify full retirement of a number.

There are three cases of players and contributors being honored that we will call “exempt” from this scrutiny:

If you were pretty good for a really long time (like 15+ years with the same franchise).

You died while still an active player

You were not a player or manager (i.e. broadcasters, other off field personnel)

In numerical retired jersey number, here are ten players who should have never been so honored by a particular franchise

The 2014 National League home run champion and MVP runner up is expected to be unencumbered physically to start the season. Mentally, the verdict is still out until he faces live pitching again. And statistically, a pitch will come up and in on occasion. How will he handle it? Hopefully this new helmet will provide some peace of mind and we can see the same ball-crushing slugger we saw last season.

]]>http://sports-kings.com/readingbetweentheseams/giancarlo-stanton-debuts-personalized-helmet-with-mouth-guard/feed/0PHOTOS: Houston Astros get up close and personal with snake in clubhousehttp://sports-kings.com/readingbetweentheseams/photos-houston-astros-get-up-close-and-personal-with-snake-in-clubhouse/
http://sports-kings.com/readingbetweentheseams/photos-houston-astros-get-up-close-and-personal-with-snake-in-clubhouse/#commentsFri, 27 Feb 2015 04:24:57 +0000http://sports-kings.com/readingbetweentheseams/?p=50340

The Houston Astros are a baseball club that defines “team in transition”. After three seasons of losing 324 total games from 2011-13, then “only” losing 92 in 2014 and now stocked with young talent, many feel that they are about a year away from seriously contending. Throw in a new manager in A.J. Hinch and significant turnover every year, and the players are in need of some bonding. Enter a 11-foot albino Burmese python. Translation: Big Snake. Some of the players seemed very comfortable with the long fellow (via @astros)

Astros longtime bullpen catcher Javier Bracamonte, whose phobia of snakes stems from his childhood and is well known in the clubhouse, saw the snake and jumped into the air between Carlos Correa and Jon Singleton as quickly as he could.

“I feel like I want to cry,” he said. “It sounds funny, but when you’re really scared you feel you want to cry.”

[Relief Pitcher Chad] Qualls said Bracamonte will be on high alert for the rest of camp.

I’m a guy who can handle spiders, high speeds, and horror movies. But snakes freak me out, too. I’m with you Javier!

While Major League Baseball is a couple of weeks away from preseason games, and over a month away from the regular season, NCAA Baseball started over a week ago. Mostly escaping TV coverage, there are a number of heavyweight matchups already. One of these is the perennial power Rice University Owls visiting Pac 12 powerhouse Arizona Wildcats in Tucson for a three game set over the weekend. On Saturday, the teams battled to a 6-6 tie in the bottom of the ninth, when Wildcats shortstop Kevin Newman broke for home…and made it… (via @Pac12Networks on Twitter)

Michael Clair of MLB.com / Cut4 notes that Newman made the call himself. Lucky for him the catcher seemed to misplace the ball, otherwise I believe the umpire would have called it out. As it was, Arizona won to split the series with the rubber game going on Sunday. Rice entered the series ranked #14 in National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association poll while the Arizona Wildcats were the first team out (a de facto #26).

The baseball world awaits (or bemoans, depending on your perspective) the triumphant (or disgraceful) return of New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez in 2015. Having missed the entire 2014 season on a suspension due to Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs), Rodriguez will be nearly 18 months older than he was in his last game. To put it in perspective, Mariano Rivera has played a game more recently than Alex Rodriguez.

His role with the Yankees is more than uncertain. The Yankees have re-signed former silver slugger 3B Chase Headley at $13M per year. Headley was a trade acquisition in 2014 in Rodriguez’s absence but offers a much more predictable level of offensive production. This leaves Rodriguez in limbo. There is the Designated Hitter spot, but a team like the Yankees would expect a 25 HR guy to fill that spot. Rodriguez hasn’t hit 25 HR since 2010. Maybe first base? That apparently is what Yankees manager Joe Girardi is thinking, but not as a starter (via Danial Barbarisi of the Wall Street Journal)

Girardi says he’ll discuss ARod as backup first baseman with Alex as soon as he gets here. Says he wants to do it face to face.

Odd that Girardi wants to tell him face to face, but now it’s in the Wall Street Journal, but I digress. The Yankees already have two-time All-Star Mark Teixeira at first base. At $23M per year. This means between Teixeira, Rodriguez, and Headley, the Yankees are paying $58M for corner IF and DH. For reference, the Houston Astros projected payroll for the entire roster is $63M.

The Yankees have so much sunk salary cost in their veteran players, I wonder at times how General Manager Brian Cashman has a job. This blog has even suggested that Rodriguez should be cut. Having missed the playoffs for two straight years, the Yankees need to consider a model like the St. Louis Cardinals or even Baltimore Orioles to bring in talent at their prime, and let them go when the time comes.

Major League Baseball will implement three “MLB rule changes” in an effort to speed up what has been portrayed as a game in need of speeding up. One isn’t even a rule change at all, the second misses the true reason of the delay, and the third is something new to mitigate an effect that slowed down the games last year for the first time. Paul Hagen of MLB.com reports that these initiatives will be phased in this year:

• Umpires will enforce Rule 6.02(d), which requires hitters to keep one foot in the box during an at-bat, subject to certain exceptions.

• Timers will be used to ensure that the game resumes promptly at the end of inning breaks.

• Managers will no longer come out of the dugout to initiate a replay challenge. A manager will also keep his challenge after each call that is overturned. Last year, a challenge was retained only after the first overturned call.

This is the best that they came up with? All this seems to do is artificially restrict the movements and pace of a game that was never intended to fit into a neat, three hour TV window. I’ll offer counterpoints to each then three better ideas that will really treat the root cause. Which isn’t pace of play after all.

1) Umpires will enforce Rule 6.02(d), which requires hitters to keep one foot in the box during an at-bat, subject to certain exceptions.

He can only do this if he swingsCredit: NBC Sports

First of all, this is already a rule. And what are those certain exceptions, Bob? Per MLB.com

“The exceptions that allow a hitter to leave the box include swinging at a pitch, being forced out of the box by a pitch, a time out or if the team in the field attempts a play on a runner at any base.”

So that leaves only a pitch that successfully reaches the catches mitt, is not swung at, and is followed by another pitch before a pick off move or time out called. My experience says that on average, batters stepping out rarely cause delay in this case. They may step out as a rhythm, but are back in quickly. The umpire usually enforces this rule. This is about no value add, other than the batter will feel imprisoned by not being able to step outside the chalk. Like elementary school where you couldn’t step on the crack or you…

2) Timers will be used to ensure that the game resumes promptly at the end of inning breaks.

Let’s keep this thing moving!Credit: jeffjacobsen.wordpress.com

This seems like a decent idea. I don’t mind cutting the dead space between innings. But I can’t imagine this is more than 15 seconds per half inning, meaning about 4 minutes total per game. Roughly the total of one pitching change; almost in the noise. And as a TV viewer, on of my pet peeves is TV coming back from commercial so close to the action, I can’t get context. I haven’t mentally prepared for who is up, who is pitching (might have changed), etc. I need 15 seconds after commercial to get my bearings. For 4 minutes of savings, seems inconsequential. The better approach is to shorten commercials to 105 seconds. College baseball games go by in two and a half hours, mainly because the half innings aren’t waiting for someone with a stop watch to give the go ahead.

3) Managers will no longer come out of the dugout to initiate a replay challenge. A manager will also keep his challenge after each call that is overturned. Last year, a challenge was retained only after the first overturned call.

The action to come out of the dugout isn’t that long Credit: Kyle Terada/USA TODAY Sports

This one I might need to see in action, I don’t fully understand. Is the manager supposed to use smoke signals? Is it intended to reduce the time he walks out to get a replay review? This seems flawed. The manager should approach an umpire to explain what he is challenging. It could be unclear. While it seemed like wasted time last year to have the manager go out and chat with the umpire until a replay was ready, this actually averted probably 60% or 70% of replays. If he is supposed to make a decision right away, we will get more meaningless reviews (and more bad calls standing). If the manager is allowed to slow the batter’s approach or direct the catcher to visit the mound to delay to see the replay, then we’re no better off. Last year’s approach allowed some a priori knowledge of what happened and focused challenges on what should be overturned. This will cause less accuracy (or the same delay). You can’t have it both ways. Also, each game I saw maybe one or two review potential plays delaying 1-2 minutes each. Another four minutes saved.

The games are much more delayed during base running action. More signs given, catchers visits to mound, pitching changes, etc. These actions seem like the equivalent of increasing the speed limit by 5 miles per hour in a zone constantly filled with traffic. Those times at night where there is no traffic, it will go faster. The problem isn’t that, it’s the snails pace of batters stepping out after foul balls, pitchers stepping off the rubber to dissuade runners, and so forth. This MLB rule change is minimal.

So the fines for violations for this? $500 per (after warnings and at the max). Do you know how much Albert Pujols made per plate appearance last year? About $33,000.

All of us remember our grandparents telling us the “good old days” when you could be a soda at the drugstore counter for a nickel and a haircut cost 50 cents. But did they ever tell you that you could get baseball tickets for four cents? Probably not. So spin this tale their way next time you visit. The Wilmington Blue Rocks (Kansas City Royals High-A) had an ill-timed (weather-wise) promotion in which fans were able to buy tickets for degrees Fahrenheit on Monday morning. It was 4 degrees. And therefore, tickets went for 4 cents (via @wilmbluerocks)

Of course, just like when furniture dealers give away millions of dollars of free furniture because of the outcome of a big game, it’s all about the publicity, not the financial return. The way concession prices and stadium advertisements are these days, they make way more money off you being in the seat than the gate price. So this is probably a savvy deal. But the fans made out, as well.

The Washington Nationals have a creative fan giveaway in store for its fans this season. It’s fun to hear when the marketing departments for Major League Baseball promotions think outside of the box. Bobbleheads? Been there, done that. Towels, T-shirts, umbrellas…ho hum. Chia beards? Intriguing! The Washington Nationals are planning to give away a limited edition (by default) Jayson Werth “chia beard” for attendees to the August 5 game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Official Nationals Twitter has an artists rendition of the certain home run giveaway:

The former All-Star Werth had an eventful offseason for the wrong reason, pleading guilty to reckless driving (like 105 in a 65) on the Washington, D.C., beltway and has served jail time as a result.

The Nationals are expected to not only win the National League East, but also the NL Pennant behind deep, talented pitching and bats such as Werth’s. To date, the franchise has not won a postseason series.

Just 16 months removed from throwing his final pitch, the New York Yankees are reportedly set to retire Andy Pettitte‘s number in a day set aside for the key member of the so-called “Core Four” (along with Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, and Mariano Rivera). The New York Daily News is reporting that August 23 will be “Andy Pettitte Day” and his number 46 will be removed from the jersey number options for current players:

Andy Pettitte pitched 14 years with the New York Yankees, his entire career except for three productive seasons with the Houston Astros. For his career, the three-time All-Star compiled 256 career wins (plus another 19 in the postseason) and was part of five World Championship Yankees teams (and three other pennant winners, including one with the Houston Astros in their only pennant in history). His 219 wins for the Yankees ranks third all-time in franchise history, behind Whitey Ford and Red Ruffing. His 2,020 strikeouts with the Yankees is the most in franchise history.

In two stints with the Yankees, Andy Pettitte won five World Series rings Credit: AP

Mariano Rivera’s #42 is retired for both the all-time saves leader and as with every major league team as a tribute to Jackie Robinson. Derek Jeter’s #2 will certainly be retired in the near future, leaving Jorge Posada as the only number from the Core Four currently in use. In all, the Yankees have 17 numbers retired (as a tribute to 19 players, #8 and #42 for multiple players). Pettitte would be the 18th/20th. And nobody has worn Posada’s #20 since he retired in 2011, that one is probably on deck.

After what amounted to nearly 10-months of an extremely busy schedule of public appearances, interviews, and, oh yes, playing baseball during his retirement tour in 2014, former New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter is going to be out of the public eye, at least this first season. Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports that Jeter won’t be throwing out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium on opening day, and will probably be seldom seen all season:

“I need to get away,” Jeter said. “I’ve been playing this game professionally for parts of 23 seasons, so I need to get away from it.”

Jeter, 40, spoke often last season about looking forward to exploring new opportunities once his final inning was in the books, and several of his former teammates have said that they don’t expect the Tampa, Fla., resident to drop by the Yanks’ Spring Training complex this year.

Most major athletes not named Brett Favre typically want to lay low for some period of time. For one thing, the current team has a job to do, and the presence of a legend like Jeter is distracting at best, cancerous at worst. Particularly if he is being asked about the performance of the team, his thoughts on their postseason potential, etc. No one would win.

If things go according to plan, Derek Jeter won’t be seen or heard from much this yearCredit: AP / Ted S. Warren

And Jeter himself has been in the baseball grind for two decades, the first thing you would think he would want to do is take a break. And he’ll be busy in business, as he launched his own media venture called The Players Tribune allowing players (of all sports) a voice directly to their fans without media whitewash or slant.

The millions of fans who flocked out to see him play last year are most assuredly hoping for more of Jeter-mania. But for now, it is best for both parties to take a short vacation. The future Hall of Famer will certainly remain close to the game for many more decades. He has intentionally distanced himself from a future in coaching or commentating. But here’s hoping that a baseball great like Jeter stays around the game. Even if it is to impart knowledge in the spring, as has been done by Sandy Koufax, Jeff Bagwell, and Barry Bonds to name a few.

As the Major League Baseball offseason free agent frenzy settles down and pitchers and catchers are mostly scheduled to report within days, it’s time to see who is projected where for the 2015 MLB season. The next month and a half will be filled with every media outlet and expert (or otherwise) picking standings, playoff participants, and projected World Series champions. The Atlantis Casino in Reno, Nevada, offers their predictions, and you can put your money up against theirs to see who is right. Here is their official “card”, who would you pick (CBS Eye on Baseball / Atlantis)

Credit: CBS Eye on Baseball / Atlantis

The Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Nationals are the highest wins against which to bet. Bolstered by top notch (and deep) pitching, it’s not surprising they lead the way. It might be a bit surprising for the Dodgers, considering they parted ways with two of their biggest bats in Matt Kemp and Hanley Ramirez. At the other end, it’s the Minnesota Twins and Colorado Rockies expected to struggle the most. Neither team has made any strong move this offseason, and suffered 188 combined losses in 2014. In the middle of the road at 81 wins, the Cleveland Indians, Miami Marlins (81.5), and New York Mets. Winning team or losing team, you make the call. Note that the New York Yankees are juicy at 80 wins. If you think they will have a winning season, jump on them now. The last time they had a losing season was 1992.

Sophisticated gamblers look at props such as these, because they hedge out short term performance for long term forecasting. In other words, you can more effectively evaluate a 40-man roster’s performance over 162 games, than you can on a Tuesday night in Atlanta. But at a $500 limit, that’s a long time for relatively small gains.

Pittsburgh Pirates All-Star outfielder Andrew McCutchen has a very unique perspective about economically disadvantaged youth and baseball. That’s because he was one. McCutchen poured out his story in an article he authored titled “Left Out” in The Players Tribune, an intriguing media platform founded by Derek Jeter to allow the players to have a more direct voice to sports fans. In the article, McCutchen touched on how youth, like the players on the (recently stripped) United States Little League World Series Champion Jackie Robinson West team and how it touched him that kids in the city still played baseball (despite their rule-bending transgressions). He touched on his own story of how he overcame economic challenge to be able to travel and improve to the point of being the Most Valuable Player in the National League in 2013. He sees the same thing with regard to African Americans in baseball as a lot of other media analysis (from McCutchen/Tribune)

“There is only one other African American player, Josh Harrison, on the Pittsburgh Pirates with me. People have asked me why I think the numbers are declining overall. There’s a lot of talk about kids thinking that baseball is slow and boring, or that they’d rather sit at home and play video games. Maybe there’s some truth to that, but to me, there is a deeper problem going on that is affecting low-income kids of all races.” – Andrew McCutchen / Left Out

Throughout the article, the four-time All-Star explains how it takes money to fully develop the skills of even the most talented youth. Lots of money. And families with barely enough money to put food on the table aren’t able to finance travel teams, pay for equipment and coaching. He expands on how the path of least resistance (for him and others) was football. If you play in high school and are good, you get to a major college. From there, you will be on TV every Saturday for up to four years getting noticed for the NFL. In baseball, even the top players out of high school go to the low-level minors where they live off of a modest signing bonus for half a decade in many cases before they get to the big leagues. And in the big leagues, it takes three more years to make arbitration and get compensation commensurate with your playing ability. Mike Trout would just be reaching arbitration had the Angels not hedged their bet and signed him to a strong, but short of full-value deal in advance of arbitration. McCutchen as well is playing for a relatively modest $10M in 2015, and is signed through 2018 at less than $20M per season as he signed a deal pre-arbitration.

There is little doubt that major league baseball players are compensated higher than other major sports. And careers go much longer than football for sure, and in most cases hockey and basketball. So the reward is high. But too many of our most talented youth end up shunning baseball for one reason or another. Thoughtful and caring players like McCutchen want to fix that.

I encourage you to read “Left Out” and keep an eye on The Players Tribune. Hearing the voices of athletes without the media white-wash or slant is refreshing. This article turned my eye toward it.

Well, that didn’t take long. After a couple of weeks of embarrassing “exaggeration story” revelations for suspended NBC News Anchor Brian Williams, the Cleveland Indians AA affiliate has pounced on the marketing opportunity for a ‘Brian Williams Pants on Fire Night’ at Canal Park in Akron, OH. The Akron Rubber Ducks expanded upon the frills (via MiLB.com)”

Not may people have had the whirlwind winter that Chicago Cubs pitcher Jon Lester has experienced. He capped it off just days before pitchers and catchers report with a hole in one. Check out the braggadocios tweet (via @jlester34)

You can’t blame a guy for being a “little” excited about hitting a once-in-a-lifetime shot. I would have tweeted, facebooked, instagrammed, mashabled, and phoned a friend. The Tampa Bay Rays All-Star 3B Evan Longoria was the witness and also tweeted (via @Evan3Longoria)

The Estancia Club is in Scottsdale, AZ, in the greater Phoenix area where the Cubs Spring Training facility is located in nearby Mesa. Pitchers and catchers report on February 19 so this would be one of his last moments of the offseason.

Lester signed a six year, $155M deal this winter nearly doubling his 2014 salary going forward. It’s good to be the ace, and ace the 7th he did!

Alex Rodriguez is likely to be a shell of himself in 2015Credit: AP/Michael Dwyer

Ready or not, New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez is poised to make his appearance on a Major League Baseball field this spring. After a tumultuous 19 months since the Biogenesis scandal broke, the 3-time Most Valuable Player has completed his 162-game PED suspension and is cleared to play. But are the Yankees ready for them? They actually got a nice year of $20M+ salary relief in 2014 because of his suspension. No such luck in 2015 as they will owe him $22M base salary (and a good chance at big bonuses, more later). Is he even worth keeping around? I’m here to tell you the answer is “no”. Yes, I understand they would still have to pay him his salary NOT to play. But it’s worth it. Well, if winning a championship is important to you. Which usually is to a team like the Yankees.

Let me first tell you about the concept of “sunk cost”. According to investopedia, it is defined as

A cost that has already been incurred and thus cannot be recovered.

In the case of guaranteed Major League Baseball contracts, barring breach of contract, death, or force majeure, salary agreed to by contract is “sunk cost”. So the $60+M owed the next three years is sunk. It’s spent. You made that decision in 2007. Live with it Brian Cashman. File this away for later.

So cut him? Really? Here are five good reasons the New York Yankees should just cut Rodriguez. Plain and simple. Financial impact discussed at the end.

1) Distractions, distractions, distractions

From the moment he arrives on an airplane to the Grapefruit League in Tampa, FL, the media circus will begin. Of course, he will have security everywhere and ne’er set foot in any sort of public space. And that’s just reporting in spring. Throughout the season, no matter what he does, questions will surround him. If he goes 0-4, it will be “Should he be playing. Is he hurting the team? Why can’t he hit?” If he does well, it’s “He better do it the next night. What was different today? Can he catch Bonds?”. And let’s not even talk about if/when he strikes out in a key situation. After two years of missing the postseason (first time since 1993-4), the Yankees need to worry about playing baseball. Not “As the A-Rod turns.”

2) Divisive clubhouse force

And all those distractions, you think it’s going to make a cohesive clubhouse? Are players going to have Rodriguez’s back if he plays badly? Will he have theirs? How can he be a team leader if he hasn’t been around these guys? Would it surprise you to know there are only four regulars left from the 2013 team A-Rod played on? Mark Teixeira (hurt most of 2013), Brett Gardner, Ivan Nova, and C.C. Sabathia. Nova and Sabathia combined for 12 starts in 2014. So you have a new team looking at this guy and most of them just know him from the media. Not good. Especially if he doesn’t have a significant attitude adjust to become a team player.

3) He’s probably not going to be any good

Since opening day in 2011 (when he was 35), Alex Rodriguez home runs per at bat dropped to 1 per every 24. Or roughly 25 every 600 at bats (assuming he gets that many, more in a minute). At the height of his career, it was 1 every 12. He’s bound to NOT be better than 1 per 24 after missing a full season. In fact, his timing will be off. He’s one of the rare veterans you would want to get as many spring at bats as possible. Although he needs rest for his old body (more in a minute). His muscles will likely be slower. His joints are older. I haven’t heard any stories about a workout regime that has him in better shape than when he left. I would put his over/under HR total at 15 for 2015. By contrast, Houston Astros (25 year old) 3B Matt Dominguez had 16 HR in 2014 and is likely to lose his job for lack of production. For the Astros.

4) Milestones of embarrassment

Alex Rodriguez currently sits fifth in career home runs. After the great triumvirate of Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, and Willie Mays. And oh yes, one Barry Bonds who used PEDs to vault over them all. The Yankees sweetened the 2007 contract pot by throwing in $6M on each occasion he ties one of those four, and another $6M for passing Bonds. That’s up to $30M. The Yankees are fighting it based upon the sham the records would represent, given Rodriguez PED suspension. But whether they have to pay or not, each time will be a distraction (see #1 above), clubhouse divider (see #2 above), and really an embarrassment to the game. He will easily pass Mays this year (assuming he’s not cut and not hurt), Ruth would be next and is a long shot, even for two years. But how is baseball going to react at that moment? Is the commissioner there? Will fans cheer? Boo? And I’m talking Yankees fans. It will be a painful open wound for MLB, the Yankees, and Rodriguez when it occurs. The Yankees can disassociate themselves from this by cutting ties. Now.

5) His chances of being healthy are slim

Alex Rodriguez has not had 600 at bats in a season since he was in his 20s (2005). He hasn’t played more than 140 games since the George W. Bush presidency (2007). He is now three years older than the last time he played 100 games. It isn’t pretty, folks. Sans PEDs, the body slows down at the age of 40. I know. I’m 40. I see a season full of “sore this”, and “resting that”. What kind of impact does this have on the guy whose place he is taking? Am I in today? Wait, let me hear from the media via Twitter if Rodriguez’s hammy is sore or not. This puts Yankees manager Joe Girardi in a horrible position of “play or sit.” Again, divisive (see #2) and a distraction (see #1). Plus when he plays, he’s probably not going to be good (see #3).

So why cut him? You’ve already sunk your cost, you HAVE to play him now, right? If your goal is to get value for that sunk cost, absolutely. If your goal is to win a pennant, you’re way off base. He has little value (some call it WAR) at this stage of his career. The fact that he makes a lot of money should not factor in.

Here’s a thought, if the Yankees DID cut Rodriguez, a team could pick him up at the league minimum. Who would take him? And those distractions? And the poor play? I doubt a contender. If the Yankees are contenders, they should heed this warning.

The fighting of his bonuses is a shot across the bow. If they lose that appeal, they have $6M reasons to cut him. And let me say this, I give him spring training. Let’s see what kind of condition he is in, let’s see his bat speed, let’s see if he can compete. But if not, then I would honestly not be surprised to see waivers, then unconditional release. You heard it here first.

If you were going to battle, would you choose a guy who was young, virile, hungry, and not making much? Or a guy who was paid a lot and old and didn’t seem to have the tools? The salary (or sunk cost) means nothing. It’s spent, it’s gone, you made that mistake. Don’t compound it by playing him at the expense of team goals. The Yankees need to think hard about that 25th roster spot, and whether Alex Rodriguez figures in to 2015 plans, let alone future years.